"Everyone should write because writing makes us decide what we believe — and so it makes us decide who we are. Life is mysterious, and unstable. Writing forces us to draw lines. It’s humbling because we will never hit the mark perfectly. But we must try to get as close as we can. Great writing, as Tolstoy had it, is writing that teaches us how to live. And Faulkner said that the writer must not forget it is “the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself which alone can make good writing, because it is the only thing worth writing about.”"

"the craft of writing means addressing these problems, and addressing what we really believe, and who we really are. The art is secondary. Doing the work is what matters most."

"with time and mortality as facts of life there is only one judgement that means anything: to ourselves — who we were, and what we believed. By writing, we can live with this always in mind."

Blogging helps me to define myself, what's important to me, what brings meaning and SPARK into my life. The self-reflective process of writing takes all the jumble and meanderings of my heart and mind and puts it out there from the beginning to the last period, making as much sense of it all as a body can at that point in time.

On another note...we are eight strong and ready for touring Cape Cod! Can't wait! Jittery with anxiety, anticipation and excitement!

Loved catching the bald eagle arcing through the skies over our office today in Binghamton...I often try to imagine what it must feel like to soar through the air the way birds can do.

Writing definitely helps me unjumble the mess that flows through my brain at any given moment. I am often surprised at what surfaces -- stuff I didn't even know was there! I am thankful that my parents saw this propensity in me early on, and they encouraged me to write down anything I wasn't yet comfortable talking with them about, for example, by writing them a letter. For them, it was a way to foster a line of communication. But for me it also became an outlet in my toughest times. I wish I had the time and energy to make it more of a regular priority -- "Start journaling again" frequently reappears on my (written) to-do list!

...makes us define who we are...For me, some of the most important writing/blogging is what you won't see. It's those words I put down and realize they don't quite capture the real gist of what I think or mean-so it causes me to search for better words and more refinement in my thoughts.Enjoy the Cape!

As a self-styled writer, I really want to echo yours and Alex Magnin's opinion that writing makes us define who we are. I actually wouldn't know what I think if I didn't at least think about writing it down, much less actually doing so. Contrariwise, I know a lot of folks who are non-writers in every sense of the word (which is weird in these days of e-mails and text messaging) and asking them to justify any one of their beliefs is tantamount to asking them to capture the moon or prove Fermat's last theorem.